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Getting rid of ticks and managing tick populations is relatively easy compared to some of their six-legged cousins. What people seem to be interested in the most when talking about ticks is Lyme Disease, an infection by a bacteria called Borrelia burgdorferi that can cause a serious case of arthritis to develop, and may even damage your nervous system. As a specialist in Rheumatology, my father has done quite a bit of research regarding Lyme Disease. It's a terrible disease to contract, and it's not the only disease you can get from ticks. In the United States there are over 5 different diseases that can be transmitted from a tick bite, including: anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Tick Associated Rash Illness, and Monocytic Ehrlichoisis. Of all the diseases that can be transmitted from ticks to humans, Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever seem to be the most prevalent and most feared; both require immediate medical attention if symptoms are noticed
1.Stay away from the location: Ticks are known to reside in areas with tall grass and bushes. Don’t let your dog go outside as often and if you can, try to trim the bushes and mow your lawn every other week. There are some products that you can use on your grass to kill a tick.
2.Check your dog: Sit down with your furry friend and take a comb that you no longer need to part the dog’s fur. Make sure you look inside and outside of the ears and along the eye area as that is a popular place where ticks will hide.
3.Removing a tick: Get a pair of gloves for your hands so that way you don’t contract Lyme disease from the ticks. When you see the tick in your dog, take tweezers or your hand to slowly pull the tick from your dog. Make sure not to rip the tick out or if you do so, the tick’s head can get stuck inside your dog and cause an infection. With the tick still in your hand or tweezers, drop it in a small tin of alcohol. Take some disinfectant and blot the area the tick was at or where you see any bites.
4.Save the ticks: This might sound weird to you, but it is a good idea to save the ticks you find and put them in a bag. Label the bag with the date you found it. This will save evidence in case your dog gets any disease, you can bring the ticks to the vet for testing to find out what disease your dog got or any other information.
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